Archive for June, 2013

Black Students Get LinkedIn for JobsBlack students are learning the competition for jobs, internships, scholarships, grants and fellowships is fierce and competitive. Teaching Black students how to use all the available tools of Social Media is necessary to Market and Brand themselves to get the attention of organizations, businesses, schools and individuals looking to present them with the finances to make the financial burdens of higher education easier. Educational tuitions are rising, financial aid interests are rising, scholarship monies are available, but students have to search for them. Even when found Black students are realizing that they must have the grades to even qualify. To many times guidance counselors are bogged down with testing, assessment evaluations and otherduties and responsibilities that take them away from the students. State legislatures of many states are raising the educational standards across the board from elementaryto high school. This has an effect on what monies are available and the qualifications to apply and be accepted. The science of getting noticed is not just visibility, but where you are visible, who sees youand what do you have to offer.During presentations I conducted at the African American Episcopal Church Youth Leadership Summit“Social Media and Your Digital Signature,” and the Man Up Health Summit “Marketing and Branding Yourself with Social Media.” My focus was on teaching how to use Social Media tools and the power they possess to effectively Market and Brand young men or the power to destroy reputations from the content young men create. The lack of knowledge and understanding of Social Media tools in this digital age is dangerous because of the long term effects of content that youth, teens and young adults are creating. More professional development is needed for Black youth through schools and churches.One of the tools that has great potential to Market and Brand is LinkedIn. A business networking tool that Black youth, teens and young adults can access for free and use the features of text, sharing photos and presentations to share content that highlights the talents and abilities of diversity and leadership, Black youth have to sell their abilities and talents in the business world.In 21st century businesses: small, medium, large or international, businesses cannot survive and prosper without using Social Media Networking tools to share themselves with diverse markets. This offersunique and empowering opportunities for Blacks to be in the mix of new businesses, startups, entrepreneurial developments and new technologies. Black students are learning the connective and networking opportunities available on LinkedIn. The pervasiveness and invasiveness of technology has shown that those using technology are creating digital footprints that others are following. In too many cases that content is the direct opposite of what needs to be created to promote Blacks in a positive, intelligent and productive light in order to be considered for employment, offered an Internship and scholarships. Content sets the foundation on how a person is perceived, judged, accepted or rejected. #BlerdChat, #Blerds #Blerdnation, #BlackTwitter LinkedIn offers a direct connection to over thousands of potential connections that can support and enhance the educational and marketing value of a young person. Black youth, teens and young adults slowly realize that being known is powerful, it precedes a person, their reputation, their abilities, and skills.Many young Black youth think that Facebook is the end all and be all of Social Media, they are far from being accurate. In order to Market yourself a young person should use as many Social Media tools and platforms, the more exposure the better. Getting noticed requires work that is direct and purposeful. One of the best ways to seize the opportunity is to study and learn. Take the time to read information, access web sites (LinkedIn.com) and practice skills that will pay off in the future.Black students must understand that their journey has just begun in life. They must be willingto become life-long learners. Understanding that learning never ends. Learning does not stop it continues for the rest of their life.Minority students and students of color need tools that can promote the positive aspects of their educational success. The unfortunate perception is that the majority of minority students are below grade level, academically struggling, attend challenging schools and “At Risk.”Recent news reports show schools are closing in Chicago, Philadelphia and other parts of thenation. Marketing and Branding yourself is key to obtaining resources that will remove minority youthfrom situations and circumstances that endanger them emotionally, physically and psychologically.LinkedIn is a good start for networking, connecting and exposing Black youth and teens to opportunities that are empowering and engaging.Wm Jackson, M.Ed.Speaker and Presenterwilliamderekjackson@gmail.com or (904) 701-4957

Tracing Your Roots: A DNA test leads to questions, and a search for answers in historical records.

By Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Jason Amos, NEHGS Researcher

Updated Friday, June 21, 2013, at 8:57 PM

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(The Root) —

“My father’s family just got our African-Ancestry test back, and on our matrilineal side, we were traced to Angola. I was shocked, because I was under the impression that most slaves from Angola ended up elsewhere in the Americas, not in the United States. I’d like to know the percentage of Angolans that ended up in the U.S. What was their typical point of entry? Do you have any info about genealogy records that might help me establish Angolan ties? –Diamond Sharp

You had your mitochondrial DNA tested. Mitochondrial DNA is passed down from a mother to her children, so this test traces a person’s mother’s mother’s mother’s line, back for generations. All children inherit this identical genetic signature from their mothers, but only daughters pass it down from generation to generation. Accordingly, it is an ideal way to trace the maternal branch of a person’s family back hundreds, even thousands, of years.

One of the biggest surprises about the history of the slave trade to the United States is the high percentage of our ancestors who were shipped to this country from Angola. African Americans have traditionally thought of Ghana and Senegal as our most common ancestral homes on the African continent, but almost half of all of the slaves arriving in this country were shipped here from two sources: Senegambia, yes, but also, Angola.

The slave trade from Angola to the New World began in the 16th century and continued (illegally) until 1860. It is estimated that, incredibly, there were more than 5 million slaves who came to the Western Hemisphere from Angola; more than half went to Brazil. Far fewer, in terms of absolute numbers, came to the U.S. (since the U.S. received dramatically fewer numbers of slaves than did Brazil, or even Haiti or Cuba or Jamaica, for instance). But the percentage from Angola was comparatively high.

According to historians Linda Heywood and John Thornton, we know that the first “20 and odd” Africans imported into Virginia in 1619 came from Angola. In fact, according to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, of the 388,000 Africans who landed in the various ports in North America over the entire course of the slave trade, 24 percent, or about 93,000 of them, came from Angola. In other words, an African American has about a one in four chance of being descended from these Central Africans.

It is possible that your Angolan maternal ancestor arrived in Virginia or New York or at another major port such as Charleston or New Orleans between 1619 and 1807. But the first ship that brought the Angolans to Virginia was the White Lion, whose crew captured a Spanish slave ship, the Sao Joao de Bautista, and took some of the slaves it was carrying to Cartagena, Colombia.

In 1808, the U.S. government made the importation of slaves into America illegal, but the illegal slave trade brought in many Angolans after that. The selling and trading of slaves in domestic markets was still allowed. If you are able to trace your enslaved ancestors back to an original owner, it might be possible to find more information about your ancestors’ arrival.

Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and the director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African-American Research at Harvard University. He is also editor-in-chief of The Root. Follow him on Twitter.

Send your questions about tracing your own roots to TracingYourRoots@theroot.com.

This answer was provided in consultation with researchers from New England Historic Genealogical Society. Founded in 1845, NEHGS is the country’s leading nonprofit resource for family history research. Its website, AmericanAncestors.org, contains more than 300 million searchable records for research in New England, New York and beyond. With the leading experts in the field, NEHGS staff can provide assistance and guidance for questions in most research areas. They can also be hired to conduct research on your family. Learn more today.

Nigerian superstars, 2Face Idibia and Ice Prince Zamani have been nominated on the Best International Act – Africa category at the 2013 BET Awards.

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2Face Idibia

Ice Prince Zamani

The BET Awards ‘13 will premiere Tuesday 2 July at 20:00 CAT on BET’s international network in the UK and Africa, reaching more than 13 million households in 50+ countries.

Hosted by American actor and comedian, Chris Tucker, BET Awards ’13 will see Hollywood’s biggest stars come together to celebrate the accomplishments of their peers in music, sports and film, at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles on Sunday 30 June.

Six African musicians have been nominated for honours in this year’s awards in the Best International Act: Africa category: 2Face Idibia (Nigeria), Toya Delazy (South Africa), Donald (South Africa), Ice Prince (Nigeria), R2Bees (Ghana) and Radio and Weasel (Uganda).

Leading Hollywood actresses, Angela Bassett and Gabrielle Union have also been revealed as the first guest presenters at the star-studded BET Awards ’13.

Previously announced performers at this year’s highly anticipated BET Awards ‘13 include platinum-selling and award-winning recording artists R. Kelly, Chris Brown and Miguel. Adding to the most exciting awards show yet, Miami Heat basketball star Dwyane Wade was recently announced as the honouree for the Humanitarian Award, and Charlie Wilson will receive the prestigious Cadillac Lifetime Achievement Award. ￼
This year, the festivities and excitement expands with the first-ever BET Experience at L.A. LIVE! The three-day weekend is filled with comedy, gospel and soulful music concerts, seminars, film screenings, “106 & PARK” tapings and so much.

GRAMMY Award-winning hip-hop soul group The Roots, will hit the stage to perform on Saturday 29 June at Club Nokia during the BET Experience at L.A. LIVE. The Roots will delight fans with their classic hits and new material at this intimate concert. In addition, they will curate a one-time-only hip-hop experience with some very special guests. Joining the legendary Roots crew will be multiple GRAMMY® Award-winner and hip-hop icon Nelly; GRAMMY® Award-winning artist/songwriter and actress Eve; hip-hop pioneer, DJ and actress MC Lyte; and West Coast rap innovator, Too Short.

BET.com/BETAwards is the official site for the BET Awards ‘13 and features content on nominees and award recipients. The microsite site will feature exciting interactive consumer elements and include information for ticket purchase, events, schedules and registration

The Story of Oscar-Nominee Gabourey Sidibe; the Award Winning ‘Precious’ Lead Actress

Posted by Jennifer Nkem-Eneanya

Don’t look so perplexed; Gabourey’s father Ibnou Sidibe hails from Senegal, Africa and from where I sit, that makes her 100% African.

Born May 6, 1983, to her aforementioned father who was a cab-driver, and her mother, a teacher-cum-singer, Gabourey was raised in Harlem, New York. She studied Psychology at Mercy College, New York, attended The City College of New York and the Borough of Manhattan Community College whose most famous alumnus is Queen Latifah.

Gabourey’s parents were divorced while she was young and the unfortunate incident had a ripple effect on her choices and career path. As a first-hand witness of her mother’s financial struggles, Gabourey was deeply needful of the security that lay in a good education and a white collar job. Indeed, as she revealed in an interview with Wendy Williams, she had no interest in acting although she was cast in school plays as a child and bit parts in local theatre.

Gabourey worked at the Fresh Air Fund’s office as a receptionist concurrently studying until her break out role and magna opus eponymous character in the movie, ‘Precious’ in 2009. The film won numerous awards, including two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Award. Gabourey was nominated for a Golden Globe in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture Drama and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She also received a string of awards from various bodies including the Chicago International Film Festival Award for Best Breakthrough Performance, Chlotrudis Award for Best Actress, the Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress, the Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress, the Hollywood Film Award for

For the 30-year old who was once told to “quit the business [of entertainment]” by an A-list Hollywood actress, -no less-, Gabourey has every reason to stand as an icon of sheer determination and talent.

For our women-folk in entertainment, there is a lesson in this narrative; read it, decipher it, and copy genius.

Flickr Photos

OUR BLACK STANDARD OF BEAUTY!

BLACK-SKINNED WOMEN: QUEEN MOTHERS OF THE BLACK RACE AND ALL BEAUTY!
Why do I sing Praises of your Beautiful, Black, ebony,velvet skin,”Blacker than the sky at midnight”{1},your full mushroomed mouth, your beautiful broad nose, your generous “Congo hips” {2}and full-flowered backside? Because for too long many of the Black Race have abused, dishonored you, degraded and denied you your crown, Queen of Queens,Queen Mother of the Black Race, Black Beauty Supreme! From you all the beauty of the Black Race springs forth.In fact all the world’s beauty springs from you,Mother of all beauty of all the races of the world! Your Black midnight,licorice,dark black chocolate,beauty, is Blackness concentrated in your beautiful “Black-blueberry”{3} face!
First in the order of creation is always given respect by Afrikan tradition. The 1st wife, the 1st elder, the 1st kingdom, the 1st original inhabitants, of the earth-all are considered with honor. So it should be with Black Beauty-our darkest -skinned Sisters are the 1st Mothers of the Universe-Black as a color came before all the many tones of brown,red,yellow and white. But for too long our Dark-skinned Queens have not been given the respect and place of honor they deserve. IN FACT THE WHITE BOY HAS INTIATED the cycle of reversing the true order of things by turning upside down the pyramid of Beauty, and placing white-light on top and relegating the most beautiful Black-skinned Beauties to rock bottom!
So Black people have been taught well how to deny our most
beautiful one her crown, taught how to reject our Blackest, most Afrikan features, full lips and nose and mouth and woollest hair, for the weaker characteristics of the white race. Shame on Black people! When will we wake up to this Black Beauty concentrated, from whence all our lesser beauty comes. When will we give the crown of crowns,the throne of thrones, to the Blackest Queen of Queens?
Most of us who suffer from”mulatto-mentality” and “yellow fever”, as Fela, our great Nigerian Musician calls it, will go on and on about what about us lighter queens-aren’t we/they beautiful too, yet you/we should be aware that such queens have gotten all the play in the past and that even in Black Egypt one of the reasons for its downfall was the allowing the lighter ones of the race, to place themselves above the rest of us in the name of lightness and pride of light-closer/to/whiteness. So if we’re yellow,to light brown/red, then we should give respect where respect is due and not live off of the artificial white thrill of having “white features” as if it is an advantage. Where would you be without your BLACKEST great Grandmother? We should honor the Blackest part of ourselves, thus giving us true pride of Blackness, not verbal signifyin’ but real testifyin’ that BLACK is beautiful! If the Blackest, most Afrikan-featured Sister isn’t respected as the Supreme Beauty of the Race,the Black woman’s beauty is not really respected at all for what it really is(only in terms of how closer to white we look). We all reflect the strengths of this concentrated beauty in ourselves, all the manifestations of how Blackness can present itself are seen in our faces. Down to the milk-lightest of us, our Blackness is what dominates us whether physically or mentally. But the Mother is greater than the child and so the Blackest is greater than all the other tones of the Black Race. If we don’t respect our Blackest Queen, we don’t respect our True Black selves. We must have a Black value for BLACKNESS in features and skin tone. We must have a Black Standard of Beauty based on the Black-skinned woman. ALL PRAISES DUE TO OUR BLACK-SKINNED QUEEN-MOTHERS!
Sister Yeye Akilimali Funua Olade
1981,Lagos,Nigeria
BLACK NOTES: Let me give tribute to Brother Damu,House of Umoja(San Francisco) for{1}
{2}Brother O.O. Gabugan in the poem “Black Queen For a Day”,{3}Sister Sonia Sanchez in her poem “,Queens of the Universe”,for the quoted words used in the first part of this article.

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GABOUREY SIDIBE IS A BIG BLACK SKINNED BEAUTY WHO HAS BROKEN THE IMITATION WHITE GIRL GLASS STANDARD OF BEAUTY!